Name Change and School Building

Archbishop Beck Catholic College was originally called “St. Bonaventure’s Catholic High School”. St Bonaventure was an Italian medieval theologian, cardinal, and minister general of the Franciscans.

In 1959 St. Bonaventure’s Catholic High School moved into its then newly built school building. The original site address was Cedar Road, Liverpool, L9 9AF

St. Bonaventure’s Catholic High School was renamed “Archbishop Beck Roman Catholic Comprehensive” after city-wide reorganisation in 1983.

Archbishop George Arthur Beck

Archbishop George Arthur Beck was born in Streatham in London and was passionate about education; he was ordained as a priest in 1927 and progressed to be a headteacher in Nottingham in 1948, he became Bishop of Salford in 1955 and then became Archbishop of Liverpool from 29 January 1964 to 7 February 1976, he worked tirelessly for Catholic education and its constant development.

College Crest

A coat of arms or crest of an organisation, such as the College’s crest is a special symbol that is used as an emblem of our identity.

Our shield is surrounded by an Archbishop’s hat, reminding us that our name derives from Archbishop George Arthur Beck, a former Archbishop of Liverpool.

His motto was Adveniat regnum tuum, which translates to “Thy Kingdom Come”.

This Latin phrase was chosen by George Beck when he became Archbishop of Liverpool, as his personal motto on his coat of arms. We also have this phrase at the bottom of our shield. The phrase “thy kingdom come” is from the LORD’S PRAYER – The Our Father. This is the official prayer of our College community and is often recited in class prayers and at all official College events.

On the crest you will see a quill, which symbolizes writing and learning. Also, an open book, a sign of knowledge, and written on the book is the prayer, the Our Father. This reminds us of our Christian values in the Catholic Tradition.

The College coat of Arms was designed by Miss Linda Caster, a former teacher at the college.

New Headteacher: Anthony Hardman

Mr Hardman took over the newly-created Archbishop Beck Roman Catholic Comprehensive in 1983. Then, it had 680 pupils and a sixth form of 3.

Today, those figures have risen considerably to 1,400 students and a 200+ strong sixth form.

In September 2001, the school became Liverpool’s first sports college.

New Headteacher: Andrew Traynor

Mr Traynor became Headteacher in 2005. He is remembered by Mr Hicks (Head of Music) as “One of life’s gentlemen.” Mr Hicks continued, “Like me he would get to school early. He did so much for the education of inner city children with exceptional high standards.”

“Only the Best Will Do”

Mr Traynor’s motto of “Only the best will do” would be his lasting legacy. To this day, we use “Only the best will do” as the embodiment of our college ethos.

Archbishop Beck Catholic College is a Christian community founded in the Catholic tradition. We promote, develop and encourage our students to navigate their way in modern society. This is done through the provision of a safe, secure and supportive learning environment for the young people in our care. The college is a place where the self-worth of each individual is valued, promoted and supported.

The college promotes an atmosphere where high standards of behaviour, respect and academic achievement are valued in our community.

Our curriculum is designed to ensure everyone works to their potential and we take as our inspiration the teachings of Jesus. “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take”. (Prov 3)

Our vision for all in our community is our motto – “Only the best will do”

New Headteacher: Paul Dickinson

Mr Dickinson took over from Mr Harding, becoming Heateacher in 2007. He remained the Head for 14 years. Under his leadership the college moved into its current location at 55 Long Lane, Liverpool L9 7BF.

New Location for the College

In 2014, Archbishop Beck Catholic College moved into its current home at 55 Long Lane, Liverpool L9 7BF.

Reaching high above the local skyline in Walton, Liverpool, construction of the new Archbishop Beck Catholic College campus is drawing to a close. Paul Dickinson, Headteacher, and senior staff had a “bird’s eye view” this week when they visited the building to see the amazing progress for themselves.

Return of the College’s Patron Saint

After an absence of four years we were delighted to announce in June 2019 that the statue of the college’s Patron Saint was restored to a prominent place on the college campus.

Headteacher, Paul Dickinson said, “This is a wonderful part of our history, one that over the last 60 years has shown us to be a community that has served the local area with great dedication. We trace our foundation back to 1960 firstly, as St Bonaventure’s Catholic High School and now in our present day foundation as Archbishop Beck Catholic College” adding “like any great school we are immensely proud of our alumni.”

New Headteacher: Paul Stirling

Mr Stirling became Headteacher of Archbishop Beck Catholic College in 2021.

Mr Stirling was born in Liverpool and grew up as a child in St Helens. He attended West Park High school and studied his A Levels at Carmel College.

After school, Paul studied Physical Education and Sports Studies at Liverpool John Moores University. After university, he qualified as a teacher of Physical Education.

Paul then began his teaching career at Birkenhead Sixth Form College. From there, he moved to Pensby Boys School and in 2000 joined Archbishop Beck Catholic College. Paul has held many positions in the college including Head of Sixth Form and Assistant Headteacher. Paul was responsible for leading the Sixth form team when it gained “OUTSTANDING” in a recent Ofsted inspection.

In 2014, he was appointed Deputy Head of Archbishop Beck Catholic College. Then in 2021 he was appointed Headteacher of the college.